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Yes, Defense Secretary Is a 'Policy-Making Position'

Chuck Hagel might think otherwise, but I found that the job demanded involvement in the country's direction.

By

Melvin R. Laird

March 10, 2013 6:18 p.m. ET

Now that Chuck Hagel has started work as secretary of defense, he may want to revisit his assertion at his confirmation hearing that he "won't be in a policy-making position." As someone who once served in the same capacity at the Pentagon, I can attest that being the defense secretary requires making policy whether or not the incumbent thinks it's part of the job description.

In my very first month at the Defense Department in 1969, I proposed changes in our chemical- and biological-warfare policy. The changes...